The Black Rock boardwalk lights are on, after four years unused

The low-level lights along the Black Rock boardwalk have been switched on, the Argus¹ first reported. They had been in place for years but could not work without a permanent electricity connection. That connection is now done, after months of talks between Brighton & Hove City Council^2,3, its contractor Colas and UK Power Networks.

A timer is going in too, so the lights will come on by themselves at dusk and go off at sunrise.

The 850-metre boardwalk runs across the beach from the Volk’s Railway station at Black Rock to the Volk’s Workshops at Duke’s Mound. When it opened, the council said more than 100 light units would be fitted the following month to light the main paths and junctions.

They then stayed dark for four years. In September the council blamed UK Power Networks for the delay, while the company said it was waiting for the council to confirm and pay for a revised quote. Robert Brown, a Kemp Town resident, took the question to full council on 1 October.

“Getting these lights working is particularly important as we head into the winter months, when the evenings are darker and people need to feel confident using the Boardwalk,” Councillor Gary Wilkinson said.

Councillor Theresa Mackey, who represents Rottingdean and West Saltdean, said: “The boardwalk is a brilliant local amenity and I’m delighted that, after a lot of work behind the scenes, we can finally see it properly lit and enjoyed into the evening.”

Councillor Jacob Taylor, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and city regeneration, said the lights were “part of our much bigger ambition for the whole 13 kilometres of Brighton and Hove’s coastline”.